Embrace Self

God has been reaffirming myself to me lately. I look at those who are striving to be better or just someone else.  All the while not being ok with who they are at the moment (and this can definitely be everyone of us at one point in time).  If you are trying to lose weight, if you are a new follower of Christ, a leader trying to be more like someone else… Accept yourself. God does..

You creative? Like a different type of music? Enjoy art? Enjoy reading? Enjoy sports? What is your passion?  What makes you..you?  Because that’s who God created. Embrace your ambitions, desires, passion, and life.  Embrace yourself.  God already does.

One of my favorite thoughts that I’ve ever heard, is the idea that you can use Gal 5:22 as a sort of “litmus test” to your actions, situations, and ambitions.  Can you see the fruits of the Spirit in what you are doing, dreaming, living, and speaking?  If not, then God’s probably not in it.  In sight of God’s acceptance of us, God wants to change us. Change us to be apart of things bigger than us, our ambitions, desires, and dreams weren’t meant to be selfish and for self-absorbtion. So embrace you, but embrace more the “you” God has created you to be.

College.Church.&.Thoughts

So I have been in a certain college in KY since yesterday, and have had the prievelage to skip the power outage back home (Madisonville, KY check it out it is pretty crazy) and spend time with some friends all the while staying warm. Although I go to Community College back home, I have always wondered what it would be like to go to a larger college or university. My experience has surely been a great one and I have enjoyed it fairly well.   I am currently sitting at a coffee shop, watching the snow fall, and they played some Coldplay this morning!  And of course I have come away some thoughts already after one night of staying. Here they are:

-The grass isn’t always greener. Although this is a very large campus and close to 20,000 students attend here, it all seems to boil down to the same thing, like back in Madisonville, spending time with friends. The great American-teenage past time.  The time spent with friends can’t be traded and I certainly have enjoyed it.

-College Church. The thought there are so many churches around this campus kills me. My friends told me about some of the Christian affiliate programs on the campus and we drew the conclusion that with all the people that attend each of them put together wouldn’t equal 10% of the student population. That is startling. I wonder how empty the churches are around here. There is so much potential of free thinkers here to be changed. There is so much opportunity for a pseudo-church to be established on campuses everywhere but for some reason, college town churches seem to build buildings instead of infiltrating the colleges themselves. Just saying. I’m not trying to shoot off from my mouth, I just see so much potential for a positive change here. There are tribes here, but with the right leadership they could know Christ.

-Refreshment. It is refreshing to see people, young people, that like to wrestle. That don’t take everything sitting down, but want to poke, prod, and test: beliefs, ideas, and those things supposed as “truths.” Anytime people are searching or are honest with not knowing “it all,” that is refreshing.

Grace and Peace.

>>The.Winds.of.Change.r.a.blowin

>>Hello.  As I looked at the stats for my blog, honestly, I saw that they were pretty low for the past few days.  I then thought to myself “wow I need to blog.”  But in another attempt to stay authentic; I really need to come clean.  Lately, my blog has turned into a leadership frenzy, and although I have tried to put out quality posts and posts that really mattered to me, I have decided to play by the original rules.  I hope everyone that has been reading has enjoyed the posts.  I hope they have been insightful, challenging, and encouraging, but don’t be surprised when I deviate from the leadership stuff.  Oh, and I may not post everyday either.  Quality over quantity.

Thanks everyone so much for your support and following my blog.  I hope it becomes and stays a source of challenge and inspiration to your life.  It brings me joy that some how others can connect and share in these ideas and experiences.  God bless.

>>Why.Can’t.Man.Fly?

 

>>Hallo everyone. There was one point in history in which man could only dream of soaring in the sky like the great fowls of the air. Men would begin to do silly things to attempt to defy all the rules of normal society and gravity just to fly. One day it all became a reality in Kitty Hawk, NC, but for the Wright brothers i’m sure the idea of flying for most, was one of stupidity and a waste of time. Thank God they didn’t see through the eyes of those pessimists but heeded the voices of those that said, “hey, man can fly.”

I need those people in my life. I need those people who can tell me that I can fly and that I can do the BIG things in life. I need those people who are propelling me forward to accomplish the wide-eyed dreams and the impossible. And even if I can’t fly, these people tell me I can, not because they are lying, but because they help give me the confidence to do it. They are behind me. Leaders, you need to surround yourself with these people. They aren’t subordinate to you, but very valuable and vital to your life, ministry, and influence.    Find those who are on board with you and will do more than just “work for you,” but when all else fails, and no one understands, they will tell you “you know what, I think man can fly.  I think you can fly.”

*God help me inspire everyone to do the BIG things and that changing the world is possible.